Aunt Li comforted Zhou Qinglan for a couple of minutes, then turned to leave to find someone.
Just then, someone came in from outside. It was Shao Minzhi, who had come to see Zhou Qinglan with some things.
When Aunt Li saw Shao Minzhi, she felt like she had found a savior. "Oh dear, Minzhi, quick, Qinglan's water has broken, she's about to give birth."
Multiparous women give birth much faster than first-time mothers. Zhou Qinglan had already given birth twice, so this pregnancy couldn't be delayed and she had to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible.
Upon hearing this, Shao Minzhi hurriedly grabbed her things and ran into the house.
Upon entering the room, one could see Zhou Qinglan holding her lower back with one hand and clutching her stomach with the other, her face pale. She looked like she was in considerable pain but was trying to endure it.
"Qinglan, don't be afraid, it's okay, your sister-in-law is here. Wait for me, I'll find someone and a car to take you to the hospital."
As they were talking, Shao Minzhi asked Aunt Li to stay and keep Zhou Qinglan company while she went out and found the neighbors on either side to help her flag down a car.
Then, Shao Minzhi returned to the room and helped Zhou Qinglan get dressed and packed up all the things she would need for the hospital stay after giving birth.
Just then, a neighbor helped find a rickshaw on the street. Shao Minzhi carried a bag in one hand and helped Zhou Qinglan onto the rickshaw with the other.
Aunt Li and two neighbors helped carry everything to the car, and then Aunt Li got in the car, and the neighbors helped lock the door.
"Driver, to the provincial hospital," Shao Minzhi called out to the cyclist.
The other person nodded and pressed the car bell in front of them a few times.
After a crisp sound, the driver pedaled hard, taking Zhou Qinglan and her group to the nearest provincial hospital.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Shao Minzhi paid the fare, and she and Aunt Li helped Zhou Qinglan out of the car and into the hospital.
When the driver saw that the three women were carrying a lot of things in large and small bags, and that Zhou Qinglan was heavily pregnant, he simply parked the car and helped them carry the things inside.
"Doctor, nurse, someone is about to give birth!" Shao Minzhi shouted as she helped Zhou Qinglan into the hospital.
There was nothing she could do; Zhou Qinglan's stomach was starting to ache more and more, and even in the dead of winter, the pain was so intense that her palms were sweating.
Having given birth to two children herself, Shao Minzhi knew that Zhou Qinglan was probably having a premature labor. At that moment, she didn't care about anything else and shouted as soon as she entered the hospital.
A nurse heard this and rushed over to guide Shao Minzhi and the other two upstairs to the obstetrics and gynecology department.
Upon seeing this, the doctor immediately arranged for a delivery room, a doctor to assist with the delivery, and a midwife to take Zhou Qinglan to the delivery room.
Shao Minzhi left Aunt Li waiting outside the delivery room while she hurried off to pay the fees and complete the formalities.
A little after 10:00, the train arrived at Changchun Station. Sheng Xiping followed the flow of people out of the station and immediately found a car to go straight to the courtyard where Zhou Qinglan lived.
When they arrived, they found the door locked and no one home.
Sheng Xiping was dumbfounded. He quickly asked his neighbors and learned that his wife had gone into labor with abdominal pain that morning and had been taken to the hospital.
"I just put him on the bus not long ago, right after you. I heard he's being taken to the provincial hospital. You should go and check on him right away."
The neighbor was a nice person. As soon as he heard that it was the husband of the woman next door who was about to give birth, he quickly told Sheng Xiping where to find him.
When Sheng Xiping came, he brought a lot of things from home, all for Zhou Qinglan to use during her postpartum period.
"Sister-in-law, could you please look after these things for me? I need to go to the hospital to see my wife first."
Sheng Xiping left all the things he had brought at his neighbor's house and ran straight to the provincial hospital.
When I went to the hospital to inquire, they said that a pregnant woman had indeed come to give birth and was in the delivery room.
Sheng Xiping hurriedly went upstairs and ran towards the delivery room. When he arrived at the delivery room, panting, he saw Shao Minzhi and Aunt Li pacing anxiously back and forth outside.
"Sister-in-law, how is Qinglan?" Sheng Xiping was out of breath from running and finally managed to ask this question.
Shao Minzhi was quite surprised to see Sheng Xiping. "Oh, Qinglan is inside, giving birth right now. Brother, what brings you here?"
Sheng Xiping paused, calmed his breathing, and then spoke again, "I was afraid Qinglan would give birth prematurely, so I took leave to come and be with her."
To my surprise, as soon as I got home from the train, I found the front door locked. My neighbor told me that she had a stomachache that morning and had been taken to the hospital.
Sheng Xiping was extremely grateful that he had arrived more than twenty days early. If it had been according to the due date, the baby would have been almost over a month old by the time he arrived.
"When Xinyu was born, it was a week early. Why is it so much earlier this time?"
Sheng Xiping was puzzled. If the due date was calculated, the delivery was more than twenty days early. What was going on?
"The doctor just said that your wife is very likely pregnant with twins. Twins rarely reach full term, so your wife is already doing quite well."
Shao Minzhi recalled what the doctor had just said and comforted Sheng Xiping.
Sheng Xiping only heard from Zhou Qinglan on the phone that she might be pregnant with twins, but he didn't really believe it.
It is true that the Sheng family has twins, Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei. However, the genes from twins are mostly passed on to the twins themselves, and the females inherit more of the genes while the males have a very small chance of inheriting them.
Hearing Shao Minzhi say this, Sheng Xiping was no longer sure.
Anyway, my wife is already in the delivery room. Whether it's a singleton or twins, we'll find out soon.
"Thank you, sister-in-law. It's all thanks to you being here. Otherwise, Qinglan might have been in danger by the time I arrived."
"And auntie, thank you so much for taking care of my wife these past few days. I'm so grateful to you for looking after her." Sheng Xiping sincerely thanked the two of them.
"No need, no need, we're all family, why be so polite?" Shao Minzhi and the other woman waved their hands.
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